Loading and discharging apparatus



Jan. 27, 1925. 1,524,291

A. C. DENNIS LOADING AND DISCHARGING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1923 5Shlae'S-Slxeeil l Jan. 27, 1925.

A. C. DENNIS LOADING AND DISCHARGING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1923 5Sheets-Sheet 2 vue/v1. boa

. Een rels' A. C. DENNIS LOADING AND DISCHARGING APPARATUS jan. 27,1925. 1,524,291

Filed Nov. 5, 1923 3 Sheets-Shea?l 5 Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

F l C E ARTHUR C. DENNIS, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LOADING AND DISCHARGING APPARATUS.

Application led November 5, 1923. Serial N50. 672,898.

To all who-m t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. DENNIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Loading andDischarging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in loading machines or ap aratusand has todo more particularly wit an improved car loader.

The device of my invention includes, in its practical form, an excavatoror scraper means acting in concert with an improved conveyor structurefor conveying and depositing the material to the desired pomt of deosition.

e device of my invention is especially designed for tunnel or otherunderground work in which cars are employed to receive the material fromthe conveyor. In this character of work it is frequently necessary towait for empty cars and this delays the operation of excavation until acar arrives. Further, when cars arrive slowly so that continuousopenation of the apparatus cannot be carried on, the delay or slowing upincreases the cost of the work to the contractor.

Therefore, it is a special feature of my invention to provide a conveyorwhich can be operated substantially continuously, thereby permittingsubstantially continuous scraping, and yet which can be speeded inaccordance" with the number andcapacity of cars available. Thus, whencars arrive slowly, my improved conveyor will be advanced step by stepWhile being loaded, so thatv the material loaded thereon will be held instorage and will form a substantially continuous and uninterrupted stripof material. When a car arrives, the conveyor will quickly andcontinuously advanced suiliciently to dump a oar full, and then theconveyor will be retracted back to the loading point, or sufficientlytoward such point so that the excess material on the conveyor, thatcould not be accommodated by the car, will be in a position to form a.continuation with new material about to be loaded onto the conveyor.Thus it will be seen that my improved conveyor may be termed a storageconveyor in that it serves in a storage capacity for material until thelatter accumulates sufiiciently to fill or more than lill aV car, andalso for excess material which the car cannot hold.

My invention has many other features of novelty. which will be morefully described in connection with the accompany' drawings and whichwill be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1, is a view in elevation of the preferred form ofmy invention showing the loaded scraper just approaching the skid orguide.

Fig. 2, is a view in elevation showing the loaded vscraper advancedalong the skid to a dumping position.

Fig. 3, is a plan view of that portion of the apparatus shown in Figure1.

Fig. 4, is a sectional view on line 4'4 of Fig. 1'.

Fig. 5, is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6, is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Flg. 1.

Fig. 7 is a View partly in section on line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8, is a front face view of the scraper.

Fig. 9, is a view in side elevation thereof.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout thedierent figures of the drawings.

As shown, my improved apparatus includes a main wheeled frame generallydesignated at 1, and adapted to be advanced toward-a dump or muckl pile2, on rails 3, said main frame 1`, may comprise a horizontal portion 4,suitably mounted on wheels 5, and likewise suitabl laterally braced.Said frame may inclu e uprights 6 connected by a transverse member 7 onwhich is supported a suitable power scraper cable winch mechanism,generally designated at 8, and which will be later referred to. Anoperators platform 9, is mounted in accessible proximity to sai-dmechanism, as clearly shown, and the apparatus isdesignedl so [that theoperator can control the entire mechan-ism while standing on thisplatform 'Upf rights 10, on that end remote from uprights 6, aresuitably connected at 11, andiform a boom supportto which a otallyconnected.

A skid or guide way for the scraper is mounted on said frame 1, andvmayinclude angle irons 14, secured to uprights 6 and 10 and to intermediatemembers 15. ,Suitable braces 16, may be employedl to brace the boom 12,is pivllu boom supports 10, said members being connected with saiduprights 10 and with the skid irons 14. The skid irons 14 are t'loored,as indicated at 17, from points 18 to 19. The horizontal portions 20, ofthe irons 14, form the guides proper. To the left of end 19, of thelloor, there is au open space bctween the irons 14 through which thecontents of the scraper can dump or descend onto the receiving end ofthe conveyor, as will be later described. I provide an apron or shoe 22,at the entrance of the skid onto which the Scraper can be advanced tothe skid. The forward edge of this apron may ride on the, rails 3, andsaid apron may be mounted on bars 23, hinged at 24, to the skid, andhaving a cross stop bar 25, extending under the -Iskid to prevent a toogreat descent of the front end of the apron. A boom supporting yoke ispivoted at 24, and may comprise uprights 26, and a cross member 27,extending beneath boom 12, and connected therewith by a U-bolt 28, whichneed not be described in detail as the same is not herein claimed. Guidebars 29, mounted on uprights 26. serve to guide the scraper onto theapron and into a position of registry with irons 14.

I have indicated a scraper at 30, which is one of the reversible typesknown as the Sullivan, and which need not be described in detail. Theforward portion of the scraper is connected with a cable 31, trainedabout sheave 32, of the power winch 8, A cable 33, is connected with therear end of the scraper and is trained about a sheave 34, on boon 12,and supported on idle rollers 35 and 36, mounted on boom 12. This cableextends to and is trained about sheave 37, of winch 8. This winch may beelectrically, air or otherwise driven mechanism, not material to thiscase, and will have operating levers or switches whereby it may becontrolled by the operator on platform 9, to cause the scraper 30 to beadvanced along the skid into a dumping position and back along the skidto the muck dump. It will be clear that the foregoing scraper mechanismconstitutes means controllable at the will of the operator forintermittently loading the conveyor, which I will presently describe.

My improved conveyor includes a` conveyor frame 38, having a. loading orintake portion 39, connected with the main frame 1, in subjacentrelation to the discharge space at the left of the floor 19, of thescraper guide-way 14. The conveyor frame 38 is inclined upwardly andrearwardly from the I nain frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, theelevation of the rear or delivery end 40, of the conveyor frame, issuicient to overhang a ear indicated at 41. I provide means which maytake the form of a wheeled supporting truck 42, for supporting theoverhanging portion of the conveyor frame and I preferably couple saidtrack 42, with the main frame truck 1, as indicated at 43, whereby thesupporting truck will at all times be in predetermined relation with themain frame truck 1. In order to relieve the apparatus from strain, whichwould result from hastily laid rails 3, I preferably pivotally connecttruck 42, with theeonveyor frame. To this end, the frame 38, is providedwith pendent bearings 44, and the truck 42, is provided with bearings45, through which bearings a pivot shaft 46 extends and is journalled.An endless conveyor apron 47, of any suitable type, has its receivingbight 48, trained about a suitable wheel structure 49, journalled in theconveyor frame 38. The remaining bight 50, is trained about a wheelstructure 51, mounted on shaft 52, which is journalled at 53. Frame 38,is provided with guards in the form of angle irons 54, which overhangthe edges of the conveyor apron 47, as will be clearly seen by referenceto Fig. 6. The frame 38, also has side extensions 55, which may be inthe forni of angle irons, for the purpose of enablin the structure totake a greater depth 0% material. An idler supporting roller 56, isprovided to engage and support the lower lap of apron 47, so that itwill clear the to of truck 42. This roller may be supporte bybrackets'57.

On one side of the rear end of frame 38, is a motor 58, which for thepurpose of this invention may be any type capable of imparting acontinuously slow or step by step motion to the apron 47. This motor isAdirectly connected with shaft 52 to drive the latter in one directionof revolution. If it be an air motor, a controlling pipe 59, may extendto platform 9, and terminate in a controlling valve 60. A similar motor61, on the opposite side, is directly connected with the remaining endof shaft 52, and has a controlling pipe 62, extending forwardly toplatform 8, and terminating in a controlling valve 63. It will beunderstood that wheels 51, will have teeth so that rollers 64, on apron47, will engage said teeth and thereby constitute a positive drive.

It will thus be seen that I have provided, broadly speaking, drivingmechanism, preferably at. the delivery cud of the conveyor, foroperating the conveyor apron in either of two directions, which is aclaimed feature of novelty. This drive is of `such a character that theapron 47 can be intermittently advanced toward a dumping position, orcontinuously so advanced. By locating the motors on the delivery end othe conveyor, Iam able to exert a pull through the shortest length ofapron as between the bight thereof and the load thereon, which is agreat advantage in that much friction is avoided as compared to the sameconstruction with the motors on the intake end' of the con` veyor. p

Explaining the operation in connection with the apparatus as shown, witha scraper loader, it will be seen that as each scraper full is dumpedonto the receiving portion of the apron 47, the motor 58, will beenerized to advance the apron a short step or distance toward thedelivery end in order to present a vacant apron space to thenext scraperload, thereby making the stripl of material X, continuous. Hence, theconveyor apron 47, functions as a storage device for holdingr thematerial loaded, after and also during the time of dumping the newmaterial. The conveyor apron might, in some instances, be loaded to anextent beyond that indicated in Fig.`1. This is a novel feature over allother conveyors, of this general type, known to me, as in -all priortypes, the conveyor is continuously operating and cannot be operatedsuticiently slowly, or step by step, in order to perform the functionsset forth.

Suppose a car had been located as shown at 41, in receiving relationwith the delivery end of the conveyor, then the operator would energizemotor 58, to continuously andI quickly advance apron 47 until enough ofthe material X had been discharged into car 41, to completely fill thesame. Suppose there was more than enough material on the apron to lill-car 41, then, and in that event, the operator would not stop and waitfor the next car, but he would energize motor 61, and return apron 47,with its excess material back to the position shown in Fig. 1, or intosuch position that the right hand end of the excess material would be ina position to form a continuation with the next scraper full dumped ontothe conveyor apron. Thus, it will be seen that in deference to the besteconomy and to obtain the greatest efficiency, the material willpreferably always be in the form of a continuous strip. It will beunderstood that during the short period of filling the car 41, thescraper 30,' will be idle, or may be slowly approaching a dumpingposition.

It will now be clear that with a large capacity machine, a car need! notbe delayed to be filled, and that by reason of the storage feature, theoperation of scraping the muck from pile 2, may be carried onpractically continuously. vThis is especially -valu able when for somereason the cars are delayed, aside from the equally important andobviously great advantage of maintaining this costly apparatus inpractically constant operation.

It is believed that my invention will be fully understood from theforegoing description, and while I have herein shown and described onespecificv embodiment of `my invention, I do not wish to be limitedthereto except for such limitations as the claims may import.

1. In a car loading machine, a conveyor for loading material, a conveyorfor receiving the material from said means and conveying it to a car,and' mechanism for actuating said conveyor -in either of two directionsto fill the car and return the excess material back into roximity to thenew material being loaded). onto said conveyor by said means.

3. A car loading apparatus comprising in combina-tion, a wheeled frameadapted to be advanced toward the dump, a conveyor on said frame havinga receiving and a delivery end, means for loading material onto 'f thereceiving end of said conveyor, means at the delivery endI of saidconveyor for advancing the latter sufficiently to dump a car full ofmaterial, and means on the delivery end of said conveyor for retractingthe latter with the excess material thereon back to near the proximityof the newly loaded material. v

4. In a car loading apparatus, a storage conveyor having a. dlschargeend for delivery into a car and also having a receiving end, means for'intermittently loading material ontothe 'receiving end of said conveyorat the will of the operator, means at the will of the operator forsuccessively adlvancing said conv `yor step by step toward .itsdischarge end in accordance with the amount of material loaded onto saidreceiving end and in a manner to form a continuous strip of material tobe held in storage until a car arrives, said means being adapted toquickly advance the conveyor after a ear arrives to discharge enough ofthe stored material to till the car and retain the excess on saidconveyor, and means for retracting said conveyor back toward the loadingpoint suihciently so that the newly loaded material will again form a`continuation with the excess material carriedl back on said conveyor.

5. In a loading apparatus, a wheeled main frame, a conveyor framemounted on said main frame and having a discharge end, an endlessconveyor on sald conveyor frame, a

shaft structure at the discharge end of said conveyor frame about whichthe discl'iarge 0nd of. said endless conveyor is trained,- a motor onone side of said conveyor frame and connected with one ond of said shafti structure for driving the latter in one direction of revolution, and amotor on the other side of said conveyor frame and connected with theremaining end of said shaft structure for driving the latter in adirection of revolution o posite to the first named direc- 10 tion ofrevo uton.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby aix mysignature.

ARTHUR C. DENNIS.

